Little Gold Men by Vanity Fair

This week, Rebecca and John discuss The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie's new movie starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr. They are joined by Vanity Fair contributing editor Tom Kludt, who shares his thoughts on why sports movies are audience favorites but not always awards winners and  what Johnson should do to become king of the Oscar ring. Plus, Rebecca and John share their picks for...

Rebecca and John are joined by VF writer Kase Wickman to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, which hits theaters Friday. After agreeing that the film feels like a real Best Picture contender, they take a closer look at star Leonardo DiCaprio's chances of earning another Oscar nomination — and why his path to winning an Academy Award was so tumultuous. Finally, they explain...

Rebecca and John are joined by their Vanity Fair colleagues Chris Murphy and Hillary Busis to break down all those surprise winners on Emmys night. They also discuss why Nate Bargatze struggled as a host and that controversial acceptance speech countdown clock. Finally, they each pitch one dramatic change that could fix the Emmys and make it more appealing in the future. Learn more about your ad c...

Rebecca and John are joined by Joy Press to talk about the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals, where some movies soared (Hamnet) and other stumbled (After the Hunt). They also take a closer look at some of the most contested Emmys races ahead of Sunday's show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From our live show at the Toronto Film Festival, James McAvoy discusses the true story behind his directorial debut, California Schemin’. Then, Hamlet star Riz Ahmed joins us to explain why the Shakespeare drama still resonates. Recorded from the St. Regis Hotel in Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David, Richard, and Rebecca answer mailbag questions about how the Oscars have changed, the most annoying film discourses of all time, and tips for attending film festivals. They also dream-cast LGM with previous Oscar winners as the hosts. Finally, as David and Richard say farewell, they present the Little Gold Men Awards and share their favorite Oscar-watching memories. Heading to TIFF? Join us...

Ahead of the fall festivals, David, Rebecca, and Richard get wildly speculative by presenting their own predictions for which 10 movies will be nominated for the best-picture Oscar. They discuss the apparent front-runner so far, the few other apparent locks, and which winter releases appear bound to surprise.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The actor and director, nominated in both Emmy categories, talked to Rebecca about her ambitions for writing and directing in the future, including giving a certain purple dinosaur of children’s TV the film treatment. She also shares her thoughts about fans shipping Syd and Carmy, and why being on The Bear has made her hopeful for the future of Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...

This week, David, Richard, and Rebecca take a look at Warner Bros.' hot streak, which continued with the horror hit Weapons. They also each pick a couple Emmy nominees they hope get a little love from voters ahead of final voting next week. Finally, they answer some listener questions, defending the Academy's choice to open up Best Picture to 10 nominees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...

Emmy nominee Michelle Williams on the role that brought her back to screen after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, what it’s like to die over and over again onscreen, and what keeps her optimistic about the film and TV industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the second installment of this summer's Little Gold Men book club series, David, Richard, and Rebecca are joined by VF's Hillary Busis to discuss Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, which explores grief and hope from the perspective of William Shakespeare's wife. At the end of the episode, O'Farrell herself joins David and Rebecca to talk about Chloe Zhao's movie adaptation starring Jessie Buckley and P...

Ben Stiller joins the show and goes deep on his busy year, from filming the “daunting” new Meet the Parents movie to planning Severance season 3—right after that huge Emmy noms haul. Plus, exclusive details on the richly personal documentary he directed about his parents, coming out in October. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David, Richard, and Rebecca share their thoughts on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and if the movie is a success as a Marvel reset. Plus, they imagine a world where Marvel never existed and what that would have meant for some of the franchise stars' careers. Then, they wrap up with a festival-related listener question. Our next Little Gold Men book club read is Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. We'll...

This week, David, Rebecca, and Richard dive into the newly announced TIFF and Venice Film Festival lineups for clues on front-runners and sleepers in the Oscar season to come—as well as a few surprising omissions. The hosts also dig into the shocking cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, and revisit Ari Aster’s Eddington after its muted opening weekend. Our next Little Gold Men book clu...

David, Richard, and Rebecca discuss the biggest surprises and snubs of the Emmy nominations, from Squid Games' complete shut out to big wins for The Rehearsal and Sirens. They also chat about why Black Mirror did so well and which White Lotus star sadly didn't make the cut. Our next Little Gold Men book club read is Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. We'll be discussing the novel and its upcoming film ad...

In the first of this summer's Little Gold Men book club series, David and Richard are joined by VF's Hillary Busis for a discussion of The History of Sound, the queer period romance starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor and hitting theaters this September. The hosts discuss the original short story by Ben Shattuck, who also wrote the film adaptation, as well as the fascinating choices made in the...

Richard and David are joined by Vanity Fair staff writer Savannah Walsh for a breakdown of who will be nominated for the top Emmys this year, ahead of the announcement later this month. The hosts also discuss a range of summer blockbusters, from F1 to the new Jurassic World, and assess the state of the box office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, David, Rebecca, and Richard go through a handful of listener questions looking ahead to this coming Oscar season, from the post-trailer buzz surrounding the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere to a potential awards play for 28 Years Later. Then, the hosts reflect on the recent rerelease of Brokeback Mountain for its 20th anniversary, before discussing a few other awards fil...

David, Richard, and Rebecca dive deep into the Emmy ballot to reveal some surprising submissions and glaring omissions. Plus, they take a look at the most promising Oscar contenders (or lack thereof) from the first half of the year and what some new trailers might reveal for what’s to come. We'll be discussing The History of Sound on July 10th, so read along and send us your questions to littlegol...

'Running Point' Star Kate Hudson Has Comedy in Her DNAKate Hudson chats with Rebecca about her hit Netflix series. She also reveals her comedy influences (yes, especially her mother Goldie Hawn), talks about relating to co-star Chet Hanks, and explains why she finally had to make her own music. We'll be discussing The History of Sound on July 10th, so read along and send us your questions to littl...

With Emmy voting officially underway, David, Richard, and Rebecca discuss a handful of shows and performances in contention that feel frustratingly out of the conversation, from Pachinko to the supporting cast of Andor, even as they deserve nominations. The hosts also discuss a slew of buzzy new film releases, including prestige projects like Materialists and The Life of Chuck, and assess the stat...

Adam Brody chats with Rebecca about playing a rabbi in the hit Netflix series, the challenges of transcending 'The O.C.', and heartthrob problems: “You’re all of a sudden like, Oh, everything I do, I gotta be hot.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard is joined by a panel of Broadway experts to debate this theater season’s most pressing questions. Will Audra McDonald win her seventh Tony, or will young upstart Nicole Scherzinger beat her out? Can anyone beat Sarah Snook? And just what, exactly, is BOOP? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The newly minted BAFTA winner talks her ‘Industry’ breakthrough, Harry Lawtey’s exit from the series, and the backlash to her Amy Winehouse biopic: “It’s difficult to be in the spotlight when it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David speaks with Brian Tyree Henry who stars as Ray Driscoll in the Apple TV+ series “Dope Thief,” which has led Brian to his first executive producer credit. They discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of being an EP, his desire to push past his iconic role as Paper Boi in “Atlanta,” and how his Oscar nomination affected his self-perception as an artist.  To join Little Gold Men's Book...